It’s that time……Again!

I have been a bit lax since the last race in February. It seems, since we moved from Broward to Palm City, we seem to be doing a lot more activities! That is a good thing! 😉

Meanwhile…..back in running land….it is time to start training for the Walt Disney World Wine and Dine half marathon!

To bring everyone up to speed, as I sated, we have been busy. With Cub Scouts, work, and all sorts of “events”, time has grown scarce for training. Then there was the “knee” issue. Yes, “that” knee!

Some time in late May, my left knee began to hurt and lock up. It appears as though something has broken inside the knee and is bouncing around. Off to Doctor Baylis to see what is going on. An X-ray was taken, and it pretty much tells the story.

The knee with the screws in it is my left knee. If you look at the other knee, you can see a nice, smooth space between the knee bones. On my left knee, there is little space and, as I suspected for some time, my knee has worn unevenly which results in my left foot pointing out further than my right foot. The cure for this is…..nothing!

What apparently happened, is that a portion of bone has broken off above the bottom screw in my left knee. That bone, along with other debris, is wandering around in the space in my knee. Because there is no space, these tiny fragments cause the knee to lock up…until they work their way down past the middle of my knee. Then, they languish there for a while.

Dr. Baylis said we could go in and retrieve them, but, we would have to know where they are to get them out. He would only be able to remove the pieces he could get to and if a bunch are down the inner side of my right knee, that would require several incisions to be made just to find them. And, if we couldn’t find them, then it would be a wasted surgery.

Another option would be knee replacement. Which I do not wish to have done. All I hear is how the only thing the replacement corrects is the pain. I can handle the pain. Losing more mobility and the ability to do a lot of things I still enjoy, isn’t really an option at this time.

Looking back on previous years, for whatever reason, in March, April and May, I seem to have these occurrences. Coincidentally, that is also the busiest time of the year for my work. Navigating attics seems to aggravate my left knee, as well as my right knee and back!

So……on to plan F! I am currently getting hyaluronic acid injections. That combined with my newest brace from DonJoy, should allow me to continue to run.

I have also managed to find a set of walking around shoes. The New Balance 670V1s, which fit perfectly. The size is 11.5 4E. As my Saucany shoes are to narrow, I am going to try the New Balance M990V3 shoes which are for mild over-pronators. Hopefully these will work as the Saucanys have created a callous on my left inside front foot.

Right now, I am in day four of the 7-day Total Body Cleanse. I try to do this every 3 months, but it has been a long time since the last “clean-out”! A lot of people have negative things to say about these body cleanses, but I can say, that the one I use, from GNC, works. Usually, by day three, I am feeling much better. This time, it took until day four, but, I am starting to get my energy back.

I am pretty sure, staying on the BSN NoXplod and Nitrix for six months without a break is responsible for my sluggishness as of late. Your body adapts to these supplements and at some point, they do not work. The good news about the cleanse, is that gradually, I am able to tolerate fruit and vegetables. That will be incorporated into the new low carbohydrate diet.

Training will be broken up into to segments, weight training and running.

Weight Training: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, complete body workouts using lighter weights, 3 sets of 12 repetitions to start. Golds Gym has an entire row of machines starting with leg press and ending with arms. I can go right down the row and use every machine!

Running: Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday will be running days. Tuesday and Thursday, shorter runs, and Saturday will be a longer run. I will be following the Jeff Galloway running program, and will just start with whatever week it is now as I think I am two weeks late for the very beginning of the program.

Weight Loss: Living the “high-life” adds pounds…quickly! The official starting weight for this training program is 244.5 pounds! YIKES!!

The good news there, is that eating all of this fruit tends to cause bloating and some water retention. That should subside after the cleanse is finished.

We have already paid for the race, and thanks to our Mousekeplanner Extraordinaire Jennifer Upton, our rooms are reserved for the race. All that remains is the training. Hopefully, all of my body parts will hold out and I plan, if all goes well, to run a personal best. I don’t know what the numbers will be, but they will have to be faster than a 2:45 time.

Stay tuned!

Two weeks later……………………

This time two weeks ago, I was gearing up for what would be the worst race, performance wise, I have ever run. The good news is that I had low expectations entering the race to the extent that I didn’t know if I would finish. The fact that I finished is an accomplishment in itself!

The last two weeks I have been slowly adding distance to my training runs. I am, for all intents and purposes, starting over as far as training for the A1A Half Marathon in February goes.

The first run after the Wine and Dine was the following Sunday.

• DISTANCE:   1.46 mi
• DURATION: 18m:43s
• AVG. PACE: 12:49 min/mi

I have changed the run/walk settings on Run/Walk Interval to 45 seconds run/50 seconds walk. As I get faster, I will change the settings, but for now, I want to get to at least 10 miles with these settings and stay in the 12 minute mile pace range.

The next run was this Thursday.

• DISTANCE:   3.29 mi
• DURATION: 43m:15s
• AVG. PACE: 13:10 min/mi

This run was at a slower pace, but getting used to the new settings is always a bit of an issue.

Todays run, Saturday, was the best so far since completing the Wine and Dine race.

• DISTANCE:   4.25 mi
• DURATION: 52m:54s
• AVG. PACE: 12:27 min/mi

I could have gone to five miles, but I had to return to the home as the wife had to leave. The good news about this run, is that since I started taking Potassium, my cramping issues seem to have been resolved. Also, I am only running with four bottles of water/Gatorade. That removes a little weight as normally I run with 8 bottles. Speaking of weight, I ran the Wine and Dine race at a staggering 251 pounds! Since we have returned, my weight has gone down to 239 pounds as of today. I am going to continue to run, cross train, and stay on the Atkins diet. The goal is to lose another 39 pounds by February.

The biggest issue for me, is that when I can’t train, I resort to poor eating habits, which adds weight very quickly. Dealing with the pain of injuries also is an issue as alcohol seems to quell the pain the best! Unfortunately, it is also responsible for a lot of weight gain!

I plan on two runs next week as it is Thanksgiving, then back to two or three runs a week. Short runs during the week and a long run on Sunday mornings. This is in preparation for the A1A race which unlike the Disney races, is in the morning…Sunday, February 15, 2015 morning to be exact! 🙂

The next update should be in two weeks barring something spectacular!

Wine and Dine 1/2 Marathon 2014 (race day)

It would appear, that Thursday night dinner would be the high-point for this weekend!

Marshall was a bit Grumpy when he woke up this morning and wanted to “postpone the run until he was better rested”!

We loaded up and drove to Wide World of Sports for the Kids races.

The required picture under the ball at Wide World of Sports!

Marshall ready to run…..He is getting some last minute advise from his coach!

A few trips through the obstacle course, and Marshall was warmed up!

Marshall finishing. If he didn’t trip at the start, he might have finished first in his wave!

Marshall and EJ at the finish.

Now it was time to take Marshall to his grandparents. We got back to the room and ate and tried to rest.

As I was on a gluten-free and mostly low carbohydrate diet, I made six cheeseburgers before we left. They came in handy for race fuel!

We got ready and headed to the bus in front of the hotel at 7:00. We arrived at around 7:45.

We mingled with some friends and got a picture taken:

The air was crisp, temperature around 65 degrees, and a slight wind…..when we arrived at Wide World of Sports!

That changed.

Right around 9:45, it started to rain. Just a slight drizzle. It never stopped!!!!

On to the race……

I was using the backup phone wrapped in a sandwich bag. The apps running were: Endomondo, Run/Walk interval, and Winamp for music.

The Motorola wireless headphones were also used.

Mommy ready to race!

Yours Truly

And we are off………………………………

The Start

Right off the bat, I knew this would be a slow race. Between the large amount of participants, especially in the corral I was in, I knew I would be lucky to finish this race.

Mile                            Pace

Mile 1:                     14:55

Mile 2:                     13:33

Mile 3:                     13:26      Fastest lap! But, problems developed!!! 😦

Mile 4:                     13:56

Mile 5:                     14:02

Mile 6:                     14:13

Mile 7:                     15:01

Mile 8:                     14:41

Mile 9:                     15:05

Mile 10:                  15:31  More problems!!!!!!

Mile 11:                   15:55

Mile 12:                   16:11

Mile 13:                    16:51

Endomondo:      3:13;20     Pace: 15:04

Chip time:            3:21:37     Pace: 15:23

Considering the conditions, and the fact that I weighed 245 pounds at race start, I guess I can live with the results.

Problem one developed right after mile three. The insert inside my shoes, started to move and eventually, was crinkled up under my foot. I tightened up the laces on my right shoe, and that seemed to solve the problem, for that foot! The left shoe, however, was still having problems all the way to the end of the race. I tightened the laces three more times and it got better, but about every mile and a half, I had to stop, take off my shoe, straighten out the insert and re-install it. This cut into my time.

Problem two developed around mile 11. I get a warning that my battery is low in my headphones. Shortly thereafter, no headphones!! I managed to finish by counting on my fingers to forty for the run intervals and 50 for the walk intervals. At some point, it was quiet enough where I could hear the commands from the phone speaker. So could everyone else!

Problem three: While tying my shoes around mile eleven, I got a cramp in my left calf! Great!! The previous races “up north” I have cramped badly. This race I took special care to prevent that from happening. I was taking potassium, drinking a bunch of water and Gatorade, and doing everything to prevent cramping. The good news, was that when I got up to run, the cramps went away. The bad news, I had to adjust the insert three more times! Each time, I feared the cramps would return, but they didn’t. 🙂

After I crossed the finish line, I grabbed my bag and headed to the after-party. I met my wife and we decided that since I was shaking uncontrollably, we should go back to the warmth of our room! Once back to the room, I took a hot shower and then crawled under the covers!!

The aftermath………………………

As with all of these races, it is a battle between your mind and body. Your body keeps trying to find ways for you to go and lay down. Your mind says no. This year, the mind won as going into this race, I didn’t know if I would finish. After the race, I am pain-free. Nothing hurts and I could go out for a run today. I have never felt this good after a race. No pain in the shins, no pain in the knee or feet. I am actually quite surprised as after the race, due to the awkward running style caused by the failed insert, my left knee hurt. Sunday it felt fine and today, you couldn’t even tell I just ran one of the toughest half marathons in my life!

What’s ahead?

Depending on what happens regarding the wife, she fell at mile three, hurt her knee, and continued to mile 7, before finally surrendering to the pain, the next run will either be a local 5K and/or the A1A half marathon in February.

I wish to thank all of those who cheered us on at the event, and those that have wished us well on the blog, and Facebook pages.

Stay tuned……training resumes Tuesday! 🙂

 

 

 

RACE WEEK!!!!!!

At long last, race week is here!

I am hoping tapering off will help me to a faster time for this race.

The goal is 2:30.  We will see how close I get to that.

After the race, I’ll post an update and a review.

So far, we have spent a lot of time at the Wine and Dine festival…….mostly the Wine portion! Tonight at dinner will be the last of that, probably a glass or two, then tomorrow will be in race mode.

Stay tuned!

Race week simulation

This week is  race week simulation of the upcoming Wine and Dine race, three weeks from now.

But first, the weekend!

I got a call from my good friend Paul that he was making a trip to his Keys house and I was asked to go. A weekend of diving and fishing in the Keys…I just can’t pass up! So, seven of the “usual suspects” were rounded up. Some went by car, others, like myself, accompanied Paul down from Lighthouse Point to Islamirada by boat.

Here we are under power:

Time for a little fishing:

Unfortunately, I didn’t have my camera when we took a little ride into the inlet to watch the sunset, but, here is Sunday mornings sunrise:

All in all a relaxing weekend. Thanks again Paul!

Of course, there always has to be at least one incident. While I was putting away my dive gear in the back of the boat, the large hatch fell and landed directly on the joint of my big toe. Here is the result of that:

I suspect right around mile 10 of the Wine and Dine race, my toenail will fall off!

Tomorrow will be a quick, hopefully, three-mile run and this Saturday, we have the Breast Cancer Awareness run/walk in the morning, then I will attempt to run 13.1 miles Saturday night.

If you wish to donate, please follow this link: Donations

I’ll post the results of that run Sunday, if all goes well.

It would also appear, that I probably shouldn’t have eaten the delicious fried grouper, redfish, and snapper Saturday night. I thought I got all the breading off, but alas, yesterday started the violence that is being “gluten-ized”. The bloat, weight gain, and bathroom issues are in full swing. Hopefully, by tomorrow, everything will have “cleared” my system. If not, the three-mile run will be very interesting!

The diet this week will be very low carbohydrates and a minor variation of the Atkins diet. This will help with losing the 8 pounds I gained in three days and also help get my system working so I will be burning fat  during the run Saturday night.

Until Sunday………..Run, run, run run run…..

Faux Tower of Terror Run!

This time last year, I was writing about my first ever run, the 2012 Tower of Terror run. It is hard to believe that it is only been a year ..it seems much longer!

The wife and I made the decision not to run this race this year as our schedules were just too crazy, besides, the recent injury to her foot more than likely would have prevented her from running anyway. I, on the other hand, while training for the Wine and Dine half Marathon, bumped up the mileage a little bit, so, I did run 10 miles Saturday night! This was a significant point in my training. This run was run as close to “race day conditions” as possible.

I started the run at 8:30 pm. As this is a training run, I’ll keep it short.

Miles 1-3: Time: 39:43. The fastest lap was lap one at 12:26 and the slowest was 13:42. As is usually the case, the first three miles are spent figuring out how to run without pain in various areas.

Miles 4-6: Time: 40:48. Fastest lap:13:03, slowest, 13:44 I was a minute slower overall, but, running at a comfortable pace.

Miles 7-9: Time: 44:33 Fastest lap: 13:58, slowest lap, 15:48 which included a water fill of three of the six bottles, should have filled them all! Mile eight was, once again, a test. At this point in time, I was wondering if I might have to call the wife to come get me!

Mile 10: Time:15:16, the second slowest lap of the 10. Actually, probably the slowest as the slowest included a water stop.

Total time: 2:20:20

Last years time at the Tower of Terror run: Chip time: 2:20:30.

If my math is correct, that would be 10 seconds faster than last years run! Of course, this was running by myself in pretty decent conditions. The race conditions last year and this year, were hotter with more humidity. This training run did have heat, 84 degrees, and humidity, 70%, but, there was a nice breeze for the most part, which made the run quite enjoyable.

The aftermath: I was expecting some sort of pain somewhere, and my body did not disappoint! The good news, is that the pain was in my heels, which adding the gel inserts I have, should correct. There was no pain in my legs and not even a hint of a shin splint. Looking at the bottoms of my shoes, although they are wearing on the outside, they are wearing evenly. This would probably explain the lack of hip pain as well as any other pain. I appear to be actually running “level” and not to one side or the other.

Modifications: Since the disaster after the race around the lake in April, I knew some things had to change. The first was the switch to a stabilizing shoe, the Saucony Omni 12s. Next, was to add some cushioning, so, the blue pads I had in my other shoes were installed. This eliminated all of the pain in my shins. I am also running wearing the Zensch calf compression sleeves. The compression socks were too tight and both feet cramped up when I ran in them. I also switched my fuel belt, upside down, so now my phone is on the left side and goodies pouch is on my right. This allows for three bottles of water to be mounted somewhere near each side. Before, there were two bottles that were in the small of my back, which when running, is quite annoying as they tend to bounce up and down with every stride.

Speaking of the phone, the Galaxy S4 performed flawlessly and only used 20% battery during the run. Much better than the old Atrix2. The apps, run/walk interval, Endomondo, and Winamp, also worked perfectly.

Tomorrow will be a four mile run or 45 minutes, whichever comes first. I will try the gel inserts for my heels and hopefully, that will eliminate the remaining pain in my heels,especially the left heel. It feels like the bone spur in my left heel is growing and may be on its way out of my foot at some point in time. It has taken on the shape of a Klingon battle cruiser!

It would appear, that everything I have done to correct the shin splints, which lead to the fractured tibias, is working. Hopefully, this trend continues as I gear up for the A1A Marathon next February! Two days after the run, I have no pain to speak of.

This weekend, I am going away to the Keys for a little fishing and diving. I may actually get a run in Saturday. The following week will be short runs and a 14 mile run Saturday night. That will be the true test and give me a better picture of where I am at time-wise for the race. Four more short runs, then race-day!

Wine and Dine training has begun!!

At long last, it is time to start training for this race! But first….a run-down of the previous months activities.

August started off with some very good news. Our son, who has a cyst on his brain, got his annual MRI done. Last year, the result was that the cyst had shrunk, slightly. This years result was that the cyst has shrunk considerably and that we do not have to put our son through the MRI process for another three years!!!!

Moving on…..Spring Lake 2013.

Since 1992, when I received an invitation to Spring Lake Golf and Tennis through my business, I have gone every year to “get away from it all”.  Somewhere in the 90s, I decided to make it a tournament and invited a few friends. Now it has morphed into a 5-day event filled with drinking and golfing, complete with hats, trophies, and a good time for all.

And now, finally, actually time to start training!

The first thing was to go on the Atkins diet and eliminate a bunch of carbohydrates. Then it was time for a new set of shoes.

While we were up in Stuart, we decided to visit a running store Fleet Feet. This store, is where Jeff Galloway has appearances and also a running team.

I spoke with one of the individuals in the store, told him about my injuries, and more specifically the recent injuries to my tibia. He recommended that I switch to a stability shoe.

I tried on a bunch of shoes, and ended up with the Saucony Omni 12 in size 11 and a half. The shoes in the store were too narrow, however when I got home, I ordered the shoes from Zappos in size 11 and a half, 2E.

I first tried a quick half mile run around the block. There were was no pain in my shins or knees. I gradually worked up to a mile running in these shoes.

Last week was my first official training run which was 3 miles. The time was a lot slower than what I was running at but there was no pain.

• DISTANCE      3.33 mi
• DURATION    45m: 59s
• AVG. SPEED  13:49 min/mi
• MAX. SPEED  9:17 min/mi

The next run was 3.8 miles and again no pain.

• DISTANCE     3.80 mi
• DURATION   54m: 01s
• AVG. SPEED 14:12 min/mi
• MAX. SPEED 7:14 min/mi

Saturday night was my first long run which was almost 7 miles. The heat is still present as well as the humidity! The run was accomplished at a 14 minute mile pace which is about a minute and a half slower per mile, then what I was running before.

• DISTANCE      6.54 mi
• DURATION    1h: 36m: 51s
• AVG. SPEED   14:48 min/mi
• MAX. SPEED  9:57 min/mi

The good news, is that there is no pain in either leg! The run also was done, as have the other training runs, with no Advil or any pain killers of any type. Now it is time to work on the speed. This run was also done at night to simulate the Wine and Dine race conditions. If it is going to be 83 degrees and 250% humidity, I am ready for it!!!
I was going to trim the running down to two days a week, but, I have some ground to make up, so, Tuesday and Thursday, will be short run days. Saturday will alternate between long runs and speed runs, of 4 miles.

I am still working on the strength training, chest and arms, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, back and shoulders, Tuesday and Thursday. I appear to be fully recovered from the shoulder surgery. Every workout I am getting stronger and in a few weeks, I will just work on weight training using lighter weights.

The weight is at 230 pounds and I am hoping to lose 15 pounds prior to the race, in six weeks.

We also purchased new phones, the Galaxy S4. All of the running apps work flawlessly on this phone! This phone also does almost everything my computer can do! In fact,most of this post was done on the phone!!

I’ll try to give daily updates, but more than likely, it will be one post, Sunday.

Back in Black!

Since I wore my black Tower of Terror shirt to the gym, that is the title of the post today!

Speaking of the gym:

EXERCISES	Calories	Minutes	Sets	Reps	Weight
Strength Training
Seated Biceps Curl			3	15	70
Shoulder Press			3	10	90
Shoulder shrugs for traps			2	20	35
Standard Bench Press			3	12	155
The 21’s			3	7	15
Triceps Pull-down			3	12	95
TOTALS:	0	0	17	76	460

A very nice workout, with no pain. So far, I have managed to have a workout and a round of golf with no pain! I can’t wait to start running next month. Seeing the wife come back from her six-mile run yesterday really got me antsy!

In preparation for my return to running, I am on a full-blown Atkins induction diet for the next two weeks. After that, I will be in Sebring for almost a week for my annual golf tournament. I’ll try to stay on the diet………………………………….. 🙂

This is a big week for young Marshall as he has orientation Wednesday and his “entrance exam”, really, an entrance exam for kindergarten, Friday. All we had to do was show up! He is excited because we went to his new school, Renaissance at University, last week to drop of his medical clearance, and doesn’t want to go to his “crappy” old school anymore. Saturday we got uniforms for him..another $200.00! We have to get all of his school supplies this weekend.

Tomorrow would be a run day, but, as I am still under the doctor imposed ban from running, I’ll have to find something else to do. The last three months, and in particular, the last two weeks have really added a few unwanted pounds, which will be gone in a short week! I think a round of golf may be in the works as nine holes in a year really isn’t a good tune up for 100 holes of golf!

The food diary will be posted tomorrow along with whatever type of “cardio” workout I decide on.

Everyone have a great day!

 

The monthly update!

It is really hard to believe how fast the days go by! Almost a month since the last post!

To start with, I am adjusting to playing Mr. Mom. Things are not quite as hectic as I have figured out the key words to get young Marshall out of the house on time. The wife is beginning to get a little bored with the hour drive each way to work, but, she loves her new job.

Speaking of work, that four-letter word has been haunting me! I have already started to break into the Stuart/Palm City market and am averaging one inspection a week there. By the time we move, I should be doing three inspections a week and fishing two days a week!  Still on the house hunt and waiting for one of two options to open up. We are thinking of buying a home that is a little larger than this one, moving in, then selling this home and buying a rental property….or three! I figure with three rentals, that should pay the mortgage on whatever home we decide on and put a few bucks in the bank! The other option is to buy our “dream house” on the water..which we haven’t found yet!  Next year will be a big year!

Meanwhile, on the body front, I am finally pain-free, well as pain-free as a soon to be 53 year-old can be! I managed to play my first round of golf in almost a year, and aside from a twinge or two of pain in my right shoulder, everything feels pretty good. Only got in 9 holes, but, hey, you have to start somewhere! In three weeks I have four days of golf so we will see how much pain I am in then. 🙂

September brings the long-awaited return to running!!!! I am really excited as I have a bunch of new nutritional information as well as running information to test out. I am planning on a gluten-free, low-carbohydrate, no fructose/lactose diet as the wife has informed my the these items may be contributing to some other “issues” I seem to be having. Getting old sucks!!!

Until next month………………………………… 🙂

 

A busy week is behind me….

This week as well as last week have both been very busy as far as work goes. Add in the “Mr. Mom” duties, and it would appear as though someone has stolen about six hours out of every day!

Taking Marshall to and from school every day and then fitting in inspections, doing the reports and running a business, it is a little taxing. It also means I have little time left for training. The good news there, is until I get the results Monday, the official results, I can’t train anyway.

Time for a game! Name Eric’s injuries by looking at the body scan below!

We can start by saying, from what I have read, the white areas are “hot spots” which are areas of trauma.

Starting at the top, the right shoulder:  recent surgery. The neck, injuries that are a result of a car crash in 1998. The left shoulder. Not too bad, but there was an incident in 1985 at a Super Bowl party, where some of my close friends decided to “sack” me, for no apparent reason. The result was a separated shoulder! Moving on down the line, the left elbow, which doesn’t show up well in this scan, three surgeries as detailed in the “Ugly Elbow” post.

The big blob in the middle is water in my stomach! The hips, nothing to see there which is great news!

On to the left knee. Five surgeries as noted in The Pain at Wounded Knee post. The right knee has some slight arthritis. The left heel, which comes out better on the rear version of the scan, what appears to be an ever-growing bone spur! Here is the rear view:

And, finally, the reason for the scan in the first place, my shins.

The picture above is a front view. There is a small bit of white on the left shin. On the right shin, there is a large amount of white, and a concentration in the center of the shin. From what I have read, this is more than likely a stress fracture. The left one may be as well but is either small or an old injury that has healed.

Hopefully, it is minor and won’t take a long time to recover from.

After I visit the doctor,  I will know for sure.

In the meantime,the weekend will be spent relaxing by the pool. Next week looks to be a little slow, for now, work-wise  so, time to get some much-needed work done to the Mighty Mako as fishing season is here!

Everyone ..enjoy your weekend and Happy Mothers Day!